A day after another mahapanchayat led to a flare-up, this time in Meerut, 26 people were arrested, including the personal secretary of arrested BJP MLA Sangeet Som and an FIR lodged against his brother Sagar Som for organising the panchayat despite a ban.

The BJP MLA's wife Preeti
Som was also booked in connection with the Sunday clash. Ten FIRs were lodged and cases registered against 3,500 unknown persons.

Meerut SSP Deepak Kumar was removed late on Monday.

The BJP MLA is in jail in connection with the September 7 mahapanchayat in Muzaffarnagar that led to communal clashes in which about 50 people died.

Police claimed situation was under control on Monday while senior officers, including DIG of Meerut range K Satyanarayan, camped at Sardhana. Additional forces were deployed in Khera village and neighbouring areas.

People of 24 villages of Sardhana area had orgainsed a panchayat in Khera village on Sunday by defying the ban order. They were opposing the arrest and imposition of NSA on Sardhana MLA Sangeet Som.

Meanwhile, appointment letters were handed over to the dependents of 20 victims of the communal violence on September 8-9.